Walsh Whiskey Distillery Signs €4m Canadian Sale Contract

Walsh Whiskey Distillery has reportedly signed a €4 million deal with Canada’s Woodman Wines & Spirits for the exclusive sale of its whiskeys in Ontario.

The four-year contract covers the Writers’ Tears and the Irishman portfolios, reports Independent.ie.

"Having watched Writers’ Tears - Copper Pot achieve great success under Woodman’s guidance, we now have great confidence in what Woodman Wines & Spirits can do with our entire portfolio," Bernard Walsh, founder and managing director of Walsh Whiskey Distillery, said.

Trade Mission

The Carlow Irish whiskey firm is on an industry trade mission to Canada with the Irish Whiskey Association and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed T.D. as part of an Irish Government trade mission, in association with Bord Bia, to promote Irish food and drinks products in the country.

Commenting ahead of the trade mission, Minister Creed said: “Clearly there is a growing demand for our quality Irish spirits in Canada. My visit will facilitate meetings to bring together Irish spirit companies with representatives of the key agencies and companies in the importation, distribution and retail alcohol sector in Canada to help develop and grow this market.”

The trade mission represents the first large-scale trade delegation to Canada since the recently negotiated Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) came into effect in September 2017.

Exports of Irish whiskey to Canada have grown substantially over recent years, with export values reaching €16.7 m in 2016, up 171% since 2011. Export values increased by a further 20.5% in the first 10 months of 2017, according to recent CSO figures.